Foldable liquid retaining bowl

ABSTRACT

A foldable liquid retaining bowl made from a single sheet of bamboo pulp and a pair of standard fastening devices. The sheet of material is capable of being folded into a bowl form with a base and four side walls without needing to be cut or otherwise modified. The side walls are held together on each end by the fastening device such as a glued joint. The sheet of material is treated on at least one side with a water resistant coating. The folded bowl form is capable of being folded flat for storage and or transport. A preferred embodiment includes the sheet of material being made of Kraft paper coated with Polylactide acid (PLA).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/756,880, filed on Oct. 26, 2015, which claims priority from U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/176,214, filed on Feb. 13, 2015, in theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept relategenerally to the field of a portable receptacle for holding food orwater and more specifically to foldable liquid retaining bowl.

There are times when a pet owner needs to be able to let his or her petdrink water while in locations other than his or her home. To this end,there is a need for a portable bowl that can be deployed when needed forthe above said purpose. Other occasions for needing a foldable bowlinclude human applications such as needing to use a bowl or cup shape todrink water or other liquid while away from home.

Others have thought of and proposed solutions for a folding bowl, suchas Daniel C. Henecke in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,087, now in the publicdomain, where a dish like receptacle is formed of a pliable sheet ofmaterial and is inflated to form a bowl shape. Another example of priorart is Paul Jones's U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,244 which discloses a portablefoldable leak-proof bowl whose sides fold down towards the base of thebowl forming a relatively flat circular shape in the stored position.

However, there is a deficiency in the prior technology in that thesolutions proposed require relatively expensive materials and methods offabrication causing the resulting bowls to be expensive enough that theycannot be used as a single use, disposable item. Additionally, althoughthe bowls do fold into a relatively flat format for storage andtransport, they are not small enough to be easily carried in one'spocket or purse. Finally, the prior technology does not lend itself tobe easily recycled and therefore are not ecologically friendly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept provide aliquid retaining bowl that can fold flat for storage and transport.

Exemplary embodiments also provide a liquid retaining bowl that can bemanufactured from one sheet of water resistant paper.

Exemplary embodiments also provide a liquid retaining bowl that isinexpensive to manufacture and disposable after use.

Exemplary embodiments also provide a liquid retaining bowl that can fitin the palm of one's hand.

Exemplary embodiments also provide a liquid retaining bowl that isenvironmentally friendly.

Exemplary embodiments also provide a liquid retaining bowl whose surfacecan be graphically printed.

Other features and utilities of the present general inventive conceptwill become apparent from the following descriptions, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way ofillustration and example, exemplary embodiments of the present generalinventive concept are disclosed.

In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present generalinventive concept, there is disclosed a foldable liquid retaining bowlcomprising: a sheet of flexible material, a pair of fastening members,said sheet of material capable of being folded into a bowl formcomprising a base and side walls without needing to be cut or otherwisemodified, said side walls being held together on each end by saidfastening members, said sheet being treated on at least one side with awater resistant coating, and said folded bowl form capable of beingfolded flat for storage and/or transport.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, whichmay be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in someinstances various aspects of the present general inventive concept maybe shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept in its flat, unfolded condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept in its partially folded condition;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept in a more fully folded condition;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept in its fully folded and deployed condition;

FIG. 5 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the present generalinventive concept in its open deployed condition;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept in its open deployed condition;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept in its deployed condition and held in aperson's hand;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept in its closed storage and transport condition;

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent general inventive concept showing a stepped edge for easiergluing or other attachment methods;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept showing an alternate design using a differentmethod of end attachment; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the present generalinventive concept showing the folding pattern for constructing thealternate design.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present general inventiveconcept may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as abasis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching oneskilled in the art to employ the present general inventive concept invirtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

Referring now to FIG. 1, we see a perspective view of a sheet 100 in itsopen and relatively flat condition in its rectangular sheet formaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept. Right and left portions 6, 8 have been folded over and adheredinto place to increase the stability of the side walls, however, this isan optional feature. The sheet 100 will work without the double sheetcondition formed by the fold. According to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present general inventive concept, the sheet 100 includes onlyenough material for a single-thickness lip, i.e., a lip that is notfolded over. This embodiment uses less material and may therefore bemade more cheaply than a bowl with a folded-over lip. According toanother exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept,folded portions 6, 8 include enough material to form a reinforced lip10, 12 along all four sides of the completed bowl, as will be shown inFIG. 4. Dotted lines 14, 16, 18, 22, 24 indicate fold lines necessary toallow the single sheet 100 to form a bowl shape that can also be foldedinto a flat condition for storage and transport. Graphic images 20 canbe printed on the side panels 6, 8. and on any other surface of thesheet 100. The sheet 100 may be made of, for example, a paper-likematerial. The sheet 100 is preferably made of forty gram weight Kraftpaper coated with forty gram weight PLA. PLA stands for Polylactic acidor polylactide and is a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyesterderived from renewable resources, such as corn starch, tapioca roots,chips or starch, or sugarcane material. PLA is a waterproof coating. Thematerial has been certified by AIB-Vincotte international for beingcompostable as well as recyclable. The material is sold under thetrademark “FT1”. The approximately forty gram paper weight is heavyenough to create a functional bowl, and yet pliable enough to be able tobe easily folded into a flat condition for storage and transport. Thewaterproof coating makes the inner surface of the bowl capable ofretaining liquid, but also meets the criteria for being able to berecycled and compostable and is therefore environmentally friendly.Other paper and non paper materials may be used as long as they fit thecriteria of being low cost and environmentally friendly. The low cost ofthe materials and labor for making the sheet 100 mean that it can beused as a disposable item. The sheet material described above can bedisposed of without needing special recycling procedures such aschopping or pulverizing that many plastic and metal materials require.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept, the sheet 100 may be formed of bamboo pulp. Bamboo pulp offersan advantageous strength-to-weight ratio, thereby allowing the resultingbowl to be both strong and lightweight. Bamboo pulp is alsobiodegradable, thereby the bowl formed from the sheet 100 will beenvironmentally friendly.

FIG. 2 shows a partially folded perspective view of the sheet 100according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept. Reinforced side edge members 10, 12 can be clearly seen. Lines24, 28 show the beginnings of triangular folds that help form theresulting bowl shape. Obviously the sheet 100 can be made of otherflexible sheet paper materials or sheet plastic materials such as thinpolyethylene or polypropylene, however the plastic sheets are moreexpensive and not as easily recycled.

FIG. 3 shows a more fully folded perspective view of an exemplaryembodiment of the sheet 100 where the left side is completely foldedinto the bowl condition and the right side is in the process of beingfolded into the bowl condition. Side wall 6 bends to form end wall 6Aand 6B. Side wall 8 bends to form end walls 8A and 8B. The base 30 isformed by the portions of paper on each side of fold line 16. FIG. 9shows one embodiment of the edge of the sheet 100 where the leadingedge, shown in FIG. 9, and trailing edge, not illustrated, are steppedbetween each fold segment 12, 18, 16, 15, 17, so that when the sheet 100is folded as shown in FIG. 4, each stepped segment can be glued orotherwise fastened directly to the side walls 6, 8.

FIG. 4 is a respective view of the fully folded and deployed bowl of thesheet 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present generalinventive concept. The sides 6A and 8A are held together by adhesivestrip 36. The sides 6B and 8B are held together by adhesive strip 34. Inan alternate exemplary embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept, both sides of the sheet 100 are coated with a polyurethanematerial that can be RF welded together thereby eliminating the need foradhesive strips 34, 36. Other methods of attachment include gluing,stapling, riveting or any other standard fastening means.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the sheet 100 in the bowl configurationaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the sheet 100 in the bowl configurationaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept. In this exemplary embodiment, the long side walls areapproximately five inches long and the short side walls areapproximately three and three quarters of an inch long. This size isideal for fitting in the average person's palm as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of the sheet 100 in the foldedposition for storage and transport. In this exemplary embodiment, thefolded length 44 is approximately seven inches long, and the sheet 100can be folded on itself at dotted line 46 to make a total length ofthree and one half of an inch long which is suitable for storing in apocket, purse or even a wallet. In this exemplary embodiment, the height42 of the side walls is approximately one and three quarters of an inch.

The bowl shape resulting from folding the sheet 100 according toexemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may beany shape configured to hold material, such as, e.g., dry material suchas cereal, or liquid material such as water. The bowl shape may havesubstantially straight walls 6, 6A-B, 8, and 8A-B, forming a nearly90-degree angle with the base 30. Alternatively, any of the walls 6,6A-B, 8, and 8A-B may be formed at a more gradual angle to the base 30,or may be formed to curve, such that the resulting bowl form has aconcave inner surface, and a convex outer surface.

FIG. 10 shows a top plan view of a sheet 200 according to anotherexemplary embodiment of the present general with a simple attachmentmethod at each end 202, 204 of the resulting bowl where the ends areglued together as shown.

FIG. 11 shows a plan view of the sheet 200 in the flat, unfoldedposition. The side edges 208, 210 are folded over for added strength.Triangular panels formed by dotted lines 212 are folded towards eachother and glued or heat sealed. Similarly, triangle sets 214, 216 and218 are each glued or heat sealed. Central dotted line 206 is a centralfold that allows the entire assembly to fold compactly into the generalshape shown in FIG. 8, however with welded ends 202, 204 shown in FIG.10. This exemplary embodiment of the sheet 200 is a simpler constructionthan the first exemplary embodiment of sheet 100 and is more economicalto manufacture. However, this exemplary embodiment of sheet 200 is notas strong as the double walled design in the first exemplary embodimentof sheet 100.

The above described and illustrated exemplary embodiments of the presentgeneral inventive concept are an ideal convenient, reusable, disposablesolution for providing a bowl or cup. While the primary purpose of thepresent general inventive concept is to provide a drinking bowl for petssuch as dogs or cats, it can also be used by children and adults as adrinking cup or bowl for cereal or other foods. The bowl according toexemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept isinexpensive, light weight, compact, reusable, disposable andcompostable, making it ideal for use in many situations that require aliquid holding receptacle while away from home.

While the present general inventive concept has been described inconnection with several preferred embodiments, it is not intended tolimit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth, buton the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives,modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A foldable liquid retaining bowl comprising: asheet of bamboo pulp having an unbroken rectangular shape, the sheetbeing folded into a bowl form without needing to be cut or otherwisemodified, the bowl form comprising: a base with opposite sides bent upto form opposite ends of the bowl form; and two side walls curved to bejoined together at the opposite ends; and a pair of retaining devicesaffixed to the opposite ends of the bowl form to maintain the bowl form,wherein: the sheet is treated on at least one side with a waterresistant coating; and said folded bowl form capable of being foldedflat for storage and or transport.
 2. The bowl of claim 1, wherein saidsheet comprises a coating of forty gram weight PLA which is recyclableand compostable.
 3. The bowl of claim 1, wherein at least one of theretaining devices is a glued joint.
 4. The bowl of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the retaining devices is a heat sealed joint.
 5. The bowlof claim 1, further comprising decorative graphics that are printed ontothe sheet.
 6. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the folded bowl shape isapproximately three and one half inches wide, four and one half incheslong and one and three quarters of an inch tall.
 7. The bowl of claim 1,wherein the two side walls include a folded over edge for added strengthalong the top perimeter of said bowl.
 8. The bowl of claim 1, whereinthe bowl is coated with compostable PLA.
 9. The bowl of claim 1, whereinthe bowl shape includes a concave inner surface.
 10. The bowl of claim1, wherein the sheet is folded into parallel pleats joined at oppositeends by the retaining devices to form the bowl form.
 11. The bowl ofclaim 10, wherein the pleats are each approximately the same size. 12.The bowl of claim 10, further comprising fold lines to fold two of thepleats at an angle, to form two triangular portions at opposite ends ofthe base which are folded up to form the opposite ends of the bowl form.13. The bowl of claim 10, further comprising: fold lines across aplurality of the pleats, to define triangular portions of the pleats,wherein the triangular portions of the pleats are folded towards eachother and affixed to one another to create the bowl form.
 14. A foldableliquid retaining bowl comprising: a sheet of bamboo pulp including aleading edge with a stepped length and a trailing edge opposite theleading edge, the trailing edge having a stepped length, the sheet beingfolded into a bowl form without needing to be cut or otherwise modified,the bowl form comprising: a pair of opposite ends formed by the leadingedge and the trailing edge of the sheet; a base with opposite sides bentup to form the opposite ends of the bowl form; and two side walls curvedto be joined together at the opposite ends; and a pair of retainingdevices affixed to the opposite ends of the bowl form to maintain thebowl form, wherein: the sheet is treated on at least one side with awater resistant coating; and said folded bowl form is capable of beingfolded flat for storage and or transport.